Who lives on top of the world's tallest active volcano?

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Who lives on top of the world's tallest active volcano?
Who lives on top of the world's tallest active volcano?
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Llullaillaco is the highest active volcano on our planet. It is located on the border of Chile and Argentina and rises as much as 6739 meters above sea level. Its snow-covered summit is at an extreme altitude, where the oxygen concentration is below normal by as much as 45%, and the temperature at times drops to -60 degrees Celsius. It would be logical to assume that these places are uninhabited, but no - in 2013, climber Matt Farson noticed a small rodent there. Having learned about this, scientists became interested in what other animals can live in such harsh conditions and what they eat there, because there is no vegetation at the top of the volcano. A few years later, the answers to some of the questions of interest to scientists have finally been found.

Biologist Jay Storz became interested in the fact that climber Matt Farson noticed a rodent at the top of a huge active volcano. According to Nebraska Today, mammals cannot theoretically live at an altitude higher than 5 kilometers. And the rodent, noticed by the climber, was walking at an altitude of about 6, 7 kilometers. To find out if rodents are really capable of surviving at extreme altitudes, the biologist climbed the Llullaillaco volcano with climber Mario Prez Mamani.

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Biologist Jay Storz (left) and climber Mario Perez Mamani (right)

The toughest animals

To everyone's surprise, on the way to the top of the huge volcano, the researchers actually met several species of rodents at once. For example, they met individuals of the so-called Andean gerbil (Eligmodontia puerulus), which usually live in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Also, the biologist and climber was lucky enough to see the eared lima (Phyllotis limatus), which belongs to the genus of leaf-eared hamsters and usually inhabits savannas, shrubs and deserts.

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The body length of leaf-eared hamsters (Phyllotis) ranges from 7 to 15 centimeters, and the length of the tail reaches 17 centimeters.

But the most interesting rodent for researchers was the leaf-eared hamster of the species Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris. He was seen at an altitude of 6,700 meters, that is, almost at the very top of the Llullaillaco volcano. From now on, it is believed that this tiny rodent holds the record for the highest habitat. Indeed, not every living creature will be able to live in conditions where there is little oxygen and practically no food. What can we say, at such a height, even well-trained people feel bad.

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Leaf-eared hamsters of the species Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris are able to survive in cold conditions with a minimum of oxygen, but how they succeed is still unknown to scientists.

But how the tiny hamster manages to survive in such extreme conditions is still not clear to scientists. It is also surprising that rodents of the same species feel great in lowlands, so researchers are still only surprised at the adaptability of hamsters to such different environmental conditions.

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Beautiful view of the volcano Llullaillaco

How to live without food and oxygen?

To find out what animals eat at high altitudes, scientists want to study the contents of their digestive system. At the moment, there is speculation that they feed on lichens and insects, which are rare, but still found on the tops of giant volcanoes. The researchers also want to take blood tests from rodents and study the red blood cells, which are saturated with oxygen in the lungs and distribute it throughout the body of living beings. Perhaps this study will uncover the mystery of how rodents survive in oxygen-deprived conditions.

Erythrocytes are blood cells that are involved in saturating the body of humans and animals with oxygen. Also known as red blood cells.

According to biologist Jay Storz, other animals can also live at high altitudes. Perhaps scientists have just poorly studied the highest peaks in the world and more discoveries await us in the future.

The tallest volcano in the world

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Volcano Ojos del Salado

It is important to understand that Llullaillaco is the tallest active volcano. In general, the highest volcano is Ojos del Salado, whose height is 6891 meters. While Llullaillaco is considered active and its last eruption occurred in 1877, the volcano Ojos del Salado is considered finally extinct, because in the entire history of observing it, no activity was noticed.

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